Tomorrow is the Armed Forces Day in Taiwan. President of the Republic of China, Lai Ching-te, released a video titled “Supreme is Flying” today (2nd), praising the young air force pilots for guarding Taiwan’s skies with their youth and safeguarding democracy and freedom in Taiwan with their professionalism and courage.
This morning, President Lai Ching-te presided over the “115th (2026) Armed Forces Day and National Defense Education Day Commendation Ceremony,” stating that the government will continue to enhance the military strength and overall defense resilience of the national army, implement national defense autonomy, take care of the officers and soldiers of the national army, and express gratitude to the military for safeguarding the homeland. He also thanked the society for supporting national defense and hoped for unity in safeguarding national security, democracy, freedom, and peace.
President Lai Ching-te shared a video on Facebook titled “Supreme is Flying,” inviting the public to spend a few minutes watching and getting to know the “Brave Eagle” advanced training aircraft manufactured domestically, as well as the air force pilots, technicians, and ground crew.
President Lai mentioned that living on stable ground makes it difficult to truly understand the amount of training and pressure that pilots face every time they take off. The instructor in the video, Wang Wen-Pin, has been in the military for 30 years and has gone through 7 aircraft changes from IDF, F-5 to the “Brave Eagle.” He always demands strict standards when training students because young pilots must have enough resilience to handle pressure in order to independently complete missions safely in the future.
President Lai expressed his respect to Wang Wen-Pin and all the pilots, technicians, and ground crew. He emphasized that guarding Taiwan’s skies is never a one-person job; every time a plane takes off, it is supported by numerous technicians and ground crew. Every safe landing is the result of teamwork.
“The national army safeguards the country, and the country should also take care of the national army. From domestically manufactured aircraft to improving benefits and care, the government will continue to invest resources and improve conditions so that everyone willing to devote their youth to the country can feel the country’s support and can steadfastly hold their post with peace of mind and pride,” said President Lai Ching-te.
President Lai hopes that through this video, people can get to know the “Brave Eagle” manufactured domestically and see how the Republic of China Air Force pilots flying it into the blue skies uphold democracy and freedom in Taiwan with professionalism and courage.